May have baited you into that one a little bit, since I know that you are the most critical of Sproul. But I also value your opinion, since you get to watch more GR games than I do.
Fact is there isn't room for him until the 16-17 season, and I am confident by that time he will be able to hold down a ~16:00-17:00 TOI role, with 2+ min of PP time per game. I think that will yield production similar to a player like Krug. Then I think he has potential to grow from there as he develops more in the league.
Unlike Smith, he is a true QB for the PP. There is really no reason he is not a big part of your PP, even if the rest of his game never comes. So I think he will be a point producing defenseman pretty much regardless, and that has more value in this league than guys like Jensen and Marchenko who at best can become minute eaters.
Depends on where you want to put that. As he looks more and more like a 3rd pairing D-man with significant PP time his rankings here have tumbled for me. I really like what he brings offensively, I love his skating. However, he will be punished severely for his ill-advised jumps and things of that nature at the NHL level, he already is plenty of times in the AHL.
Sproul has all the potential in the world, I know why people are so high on him, he flashes it a lot. His progress is there, he is a better player than he was this time a year ago. Not all is lost.
However, Marchenko isn't chopped liver as an offensive D-man and has a massive advantage in terms of his own end. He is a significant battler in corners and a crisp passer in all three zones. Keep in mind this is a guy even while not playing much at CSKA during the NHL lockout was on their top PP unit with Grabo, Datsyuk, Radulov and Grigorenko. He has a little more going for him offensively than I think most give him credit for. Also his trustworthy nature defensively will allow him to see more ice time to help advance his development.
I don't dislike Sproul, I think he has a lot going for him. However, I think he needs to be taking more steps in terms of how he reads the game. His gifts are incredible though, there is no doubting that, I just don't think his floor is that wonderful. For now I take what I am seeing out of the other two right handed options in GR. They might not have his shot, but a lot of it is I am very high on Marchenko and Jensen. Those two have a lot going for them, with hockey brains that function nearly all of the time and that is big for me when I watch all three play.
In a league where skating is a premium, I will continue to remain high on Jensen despite his age. I am impressed with him every time I watch him and the fact he uses that to recover and play sound positional defense to begin with. He uses that speed in all facets of his game, Sproul often uses his speed to his detriment. Still one positive for me lately is Sproul is really starting to play the body more often, I think that could be huge in the long-run. He is starting to remind me an awful lot of Cody Franson. A guy who has played well at times in the NHL and I am very familiar with from his time in Milwaukee. There are times you would watch him and think this guy has Norris capabilities, ultimately though the inconsistencies and poor hockey recognition limit what he is. His finally getting physical looks like it will get him overpaid. There are worse things than being Cody Franson to be sure, but I just don't buy into it over some of the guys we still have on the board at this point. It is also not a surprise that Franson wound up being chased from a deep Nashville blueline as he struggled to cope with the competition there and the Wings will have a lot of that like Nashville did for young Sproul to contend with.